Author Topic: Cherry g80-3000 (pics inside) (Read 44728 times)

o2dazone · « **on:** Thu, 19 March 2009, 22:23:36 »

I finally made the dip and ordered a g80-3000 from GeminiComputers.com - This is my first mechanical keyboard, about 1½ weeks after finding this forum, I told myself I had to have one. Be apart of what everyone was talking about.

I was originally going to write a review, but being my first mechanical board, I have nothing to compare it to. Getting used to the non-membrane feel. Getting used to the solid feeling, the bottoming out of the keys, and not that mushy indirect response you get with normal keyboards. I really don't have much so to say, so I'll just move onto something I'm better at than reviewing boards; pictures

Nothing amazing here, sorry about the dirty desk. This gives you a shot of the general board. I didn't yank any keys off...just because I'm paranoid and haven't read about the infamous "two paperclip method" yet.

An artsy photo with an amazing trackball in the background. You can also see that my black glass desk gets dirty easily.

The G80-3000 lacks dimples on the F and J keys, instead they are a little more concave than the other keys. You can see this in the photo. I use my forearm to the edge of the desk to keep my arms in place, so I don't really rely on the keys to tell me where my hands are, but I did notice it's easier to feel the sharper 'edge' of the F/J keys than it is to feel the concavity of it.

The asian characters on the keyboard (Chinese I'm guessing) don't really bother me because I hardly look at the keyboard itself. I'm sure if they ever start offering affordable keys, I'll pick up a blank set, in the meantime, I'm just overwhelmed by the tactility and sound (god...I could go on about the sound) of it. So far, I love it. Well, thats my 'review'

bhtooefr · « **Reply #1 on:** Thu, 19 March 2009, 22:36:38 »

Yeah, that model will be the G80-3000LSCRC-2, correct? So, yeah, Chinese.

How are you liking the weight of the keys? If this is your first mechanical keyboard... you've got nothing to compare to such as a Model M or something... (a lot of people whose first mechanical boards were Model Ms can't stand Cherry blues, although I love them. Then again, I'm typing this on an EnduraPro right now just to have some variety.)

D-EJ915 · « **Reply #2 on:** Thu, 19 March 2009, 22:57:51 »

that looks great, nice pics!

lam47 · « **Reply #3 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 05:15:14 »

Thanks for taking pictures

They are very good! I have trouble getting good shots of black keyboards.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #4 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 08:02:35 »

Quote from: lam47;24957

Thanks for taking pictures
They are very good! I have trouble getting good shots of black keyboards.

Yes, thank you for the nice pictures. I like the third one in particular, where the focus is drawn on just a few keys, and the rest of the picture is blurry. This draws viewers attention to just these few keys, and let them have a nice look.

Mine, also from geminicomputers.com, arrived yesterday. I like mine a lot. Enjoy your new keyboard. You must be in keyboard heaven.

lal · « **Reply #5 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 08:27:29 »

Incredible pics indeed...

jpeck · « **Reply #6 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 08:31:55 »

These pics have me really curious. This board looks so close to my Das 2 that I can't tell the difference besides the keys and the logo. Are these two boards both manufactured by Cherry?

itlnstln · « **Reply #7 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 08:39:17 »

Quote from: jpeck;24970

These pics have me really curious. This board looks so close to my Das 2 that I can't tell the difference besides the keys and the logo. Are these two boards both manufactured by Cherry?

The Das 2 was a relabeled G80-3000. The Das III is made by Costar who also makes ABS and Filco (among others).

lal · « **Reply #8 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 08:39:36 »

AFAIK the Das II is just a relabeled G80-3000, yes.

FKSSR · « **Reply #9 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 09:43:55 »

Glad you're liking it!

It wasn't for me, but that's why we have so many different types of keyboards, for all different types of people.

davidc · « **Reply #10 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 22:50:00 »

Have you noticed any ringing when the keys are pressed or the board tapped? I raised a thread about this a while ago as my Cherry G80-3000had this ring which drove me nuts. There was no way to get rid of it I could see - it was the individual key mechanisms that were ringing. But if no one else has this issue maybe I just got a bad copy - I'd get another one if it came without the ringing.

Have you found any ring qhen you use the keyboard?

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #11 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 23:10:56 »

Quote from: davidc;25008

Have you noticed any ringing when the keys are pressed or the board tapped? I raised a thread about this a while ago as my Cherry G80-3000had this ring which drove me nuts. There was no way to get rid of it I could see - it was the individual key mechanisms that were ringing. But if no one else has this issue maybe I just got a bad copy - I'd get another one if it came without the ringing.

Have you found any ring qhen you use the keyboard?

I don't know if o2dazone's unit has a ringing noise, but mine does. It's more pronounced when I use a lot of force on the keys. But, since I read your thread before getting mine, I cannot go back not hearing it. It does not bother that much except maybe at night when it's more quiet around my place. The ringing noise is similar to the ring you sometimes here when you are bouncing a basketball.

o2dazone · « **Reply #12 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 23:34:46 »

Thanks for all the photo comments

Photography is a hobby of mine, so I spend a lot of time just setting up for one shot ( out of the 4 I posted, I took about 70 lol! )

The das II question was answered so :] yes - there's a photo floating around here where someone removed a key on the top row (or maybe it was the function keys) of a Das II and it showed a teal G80-3000 sticker underneath. Small world of keyboards!

And yes I'm in keyboard HEAVEN ! In fact, I refrained from typing up a response to this thread at work, just so I can get some good long typing in at home (I usually game, so I don't type as often as I'd like.) I, for once, was actually ANXIOUS to get my taxes done! Tackity tack tack

Edit: FKSSR - I messaged a few people, and they all told me different things! A couple browns, a couple blues, some swore by buckling springs. I already told myself before ordering the g80, I'd end up getting a Unicomp Customizer haha...now I understand the addiction.

Edit2: It could be the keyboard has ringing and I just don't know how to detect it. If it's anything like a squeeky 'switches rubbing' sound I'm not getting anything, and pounding on the keys doesn't seem to produce any different sounds. Could you go into more detail about what I should be listening for?

davidc · « **Reply #13 on:** Fri, 20 March 2009, 23:34:51 »

Sorry to have drawn this your attention - but it's very helpful to know that you hear the ringing too. Must be a design issue. Pity.

o2dazone · « **Reply #14 on:** Sat, 21 March 2009, 01:34:43 »

Just yanked off a few keys, attempting to dampen the spacebar a little, due to the subtle sound difference. It seems to have a green cherry keyswitch underneath. It's definitely distinguishable, but I think it's coupled by the metal bar too. Any way to 'denoise' that? After fiddling with getting the bar back onto the board, and whatnot (what a pain) I retired for the evening...but I'm not giving up completely!

lam47 · « **Reply #15 on:** Sat, 21 March 2009, 05:28:03 »

The ringing is part of the switch mechanism and is there on every cherry blue if the owner can here it or not.
There is a loose piece of plastic that sits on the main blue stem part. Its this that causes the click and the ringing after. The ring comes from the spring and the plastic part vibrating inside the switch after each key stroke. The part bounces slightly and rubs the spring as it does so.
Its not a flaw in the design just a part of it.

If you have a blue cherry to hand you can open it and see what I mean. I should take some shots of it I guess.
Or just hold down the stem and shake the switch. You will hear the white part rattle and touch the spring.

davidc · « **Reply #16 on:** Mon, 23 March 2009, 12:56:33 »

Quote from: lam47;25019

The ringing is part of the switch mechanism and is there on every cherry blue if the owner can here it or not.
There is a loose piece of plastic that sits on the main blue stem part. Its this that causes the click and the ringing after. The ring comes from the spring and the plastic part vibrating inside the switch after each key stroke. The part bounces slightly and rubs the spring as it does so.
Its not a flaw in the design just a part of it.

If you have a blue cherry to hand you can open it and see what I mean. I should take some shots of it I guess.
Or just hold down the stem and shake the switch. You will hear the white part rattle and touch the spring.

It's a design flaw if the ringing gets on your nerves!

CX23882 · « **Reply #17 on:** Mon, 23 March 2009, 14:29:34 »

My G80-3000LSCGB rings, but it's not noticeable unless you hammer the keys and bottom out, or tap on the casing. In other words, it seems to be any impact onto the base/PCB will make the switches ring. Gentle presses produce the click but not the ringing.

I prefer plasticy "clacks" to metallic clicks or ringing. I've tried two boards with white Alps and one of them is almost completely plastic noise whereas the other is a loud pinging. I couldn't get on with the pinging board at all. On that board it is much more noticeable than with the blue Cherry switches, which are tolerable.

I'm slightly neurotic about unwanted noises. Over the years I've probably poured several hundred £ into making my computer(s) quiet... then I go and buy a noisy clicky keyboard.

travnewmatic · « **Reply #18 on:** Mon, 04 May 2009, 15:10:01 »

Woo hoo!

Mine just came in about an hour ago and I'm loving it! This is my first mechanical keyboard and I can tell this is going to change my life. I can definitely understand how this can become an addiction...

Interestingly, whenever i turned on my computer with it connected via USB, GRUB didnt see it, but when Ubuntu loaded it worked... I guess I need to use the PS/2 to USB adapter if I want to be able to pick my OS at startup... but that's a minor detail...

Best ~$70 I've ever spent!

o2dazone · « **Reply #19 on:** Mon, 04 May 2009, 15:14:52 »

Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome

itlnstln · « **Reply #20 on:** Mon, 04 May 2009, 15:16:19 »

Quote from: travnewmatic;89003

Woo hoo!

Mine just came in about an hour ago and I'm loving it! This is my first mechanical keyboard and I can tell this is going to change my life. I can definitely understand how this can become an addiction...

Interestingly, whenever i turned on my computer with it connected via USB, GRUB didnt see it, but when Ubuntu loaded it worked... I guess I need to use the PS/2 to USB adapter if I want to be able to pick my OS at startup... but that's a minor detail...

Best ~$70 I've ever spent!

The G80-3000 is a fantastic 'board. I love mine; I have browns in mine, though. One day, I might get one with blues, but I am pretty content with the browns for now.

travnewmatic · « **Reply #21 on:** Mon, 04 May 2009, 15:54:39 »

Yeah i'm really excited to take mine to work, i work at call center doing tech support, and i type pretty much continually throughout my 8 hour shift. If i'm typing that much theres no reason why i should be using a $10 dell keyboard... also i want to show off my new toy to my coworkers ...and potentially annoy the hell out of them

itlnstln · « **Reply #22 on:** Mon, 04 May 2009, 16:52:27 »

Quote from: travnewmatic;89018

theres no reason why i should be using a $10 dell keyboard

You better take that back. I have 2 $10 Dell keyboards that I absolutely love.

You'll be suprised how little you can get a couple of NIB AT101Ws for.

ozar · « **Reply #23 on:** Mon, 04 May 2009, 16:56:17 »

Quote from: itlnstln;89045

You'll be suprised how little you can get a couple of NIB AT101Ws for.

Isn't that the truth... I've got one that was picked up on eBay for under $20 NIB and have no intentions of giving it up.

itlnstln · « **Reply #24 on:** Mon, 04 May 2009, 17:00:27 »

A bunch of us, myself included, bought a ton of them (NIB) from some guy selling them for $10 each. Great, great 'board.

ozar · « **Reply #25 on:** Mon, 04 May 2009, 17:03:47 »

Quote from: itlnstln;89050

A bunch of us, myself included, bought a ton of them (NIB) from some guy selling them for $10 each. Great, great 'board.

Perhaps mine came from the same bunch because it came from Central Texas. Not sure, though.

pmyshkin · « **Reply #26 on:** Wed, 06 May 2009, 03:58:40 »

I bought a g81-1800 recently and the lack of dimples on F/J annoyed the hell out of me. If it wasn't for you mentioning it I would never have noticed the concavity difference. I wonder why they thought concavity would be easier to feel out than dimples.

keyb_gr · « **Reply #27 on:** Wed, 06 May 2009, 08:01:01 »

Quote from: pmyshkin;89411

I bought a g81-1800 recently and the lack of dimples on F/J annoyed the hell out of me.

People have also complained about the exact opposite...

(That's because Cherry went to dimples in the early '00s. Those are a little on the large side and somewhat irritating for my taste.) Seems to be a matter of what you're used to.

Quote

If it wasn't for you mentioning it I would never have noticed the concavity difference. I wonder why they thought concavity would be easier to feel out than dimples.

That you'll have to ask whoever decided to do it that way back in '87.

pmyshkin · « **Reply #28 on:** Wed, 06 May 2009, 16:11:13 »

My shipment of this keyboard just arrived (yes, I bought the g81-1800, didn't like it, and immediately bought the g80-3000, complete waste of $60). It does feel kind of strange to type on right now since this is my first mechanical keyboard, but the clicks are so satisfying... kind of like biting into a really thick steak.

BTW, my keyboard smells strangely of formaldehyde out of the box. Did yours also smell like that?

o2dazone · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 06 May 2009, 17:24:27 »

Mine didn't have any particular odor, in before you find smuggled body parts in the box it came in

pmyshkin · « **Reply #30 on:** Wed, 06 May 2009, 18:29:55 »

Quote from: o2dazone;89602

Mine didn't have any particular odor, in before you find smuggled body parts in the box it came in

Along those lines, I forgot to mention that the outer box it came in was about the size of a child's coffin, absurdly huge considering all it contained was a keyboard. Pretty bizarre.

o2dazone · « **Reply #31 on:** Wed, 06 May 2009, 18:33:41 »

Same here, did you buy yours from GeminiComputers?

huha · « **Reply #32 on:** Wed, 06 May 2009, 18:53:24 »

Quote from: pmyshkin;89586

BTW, my keyboard smells strangely of formaldehyde out of the box. Did yours also smell like that?

Mine doesn't smell of formaldehyde, but there is what I'd call a "PCB smell"--although a rather nasty one (still not as nasty as some of the graphics cards I had, though).

-huha

pmyshkin · « **Reply #33 on:** Wed, 06 May 2009, 19:07:20 »

Quote from: o2dazone;89615

Same here, did you buy yours from GeminiComputers?

No, i bought mine from totalbarcode.com.

keyb_gr · « **Reply #34 on:** Thu, 07 May 2009, 06:40:28 »

The formaldehyde smell might be explained by POM keycaps. I guess the 'board in question is black?

lowpoly · « **Reply #35 on:** Thu, 07 May 2009, 08:46:06 »

Quote from: pmyshkin;89411

I bought a g81-1800 recently and the lack of dimples on F/J annoyed the hell out of me. If it wasn't for you mentioning it I would never have noticed the concavity difference. I wonder why they thought concavity would be easier to feel out than dimples.

You just have to feel horizontal instead of vertical. Scooped F and J keys are quite elegant, IMO.

Quote from: huha;89619

Mine doesn't smell of formaldehyde, but there is what I'd call a "PCB smell"--although a rather nasty one (still not as nasty as some of the graphics cards I had, though).

-huha

Pcbs are basically paper and Formaldehyde.

pmyshkin · « **Reply #36 on:** Thu, 07 May 2009, 12:49:42 »

Quote from: keyb_gr;89703

The formaldehyde smell might be explained by POM keycaps. I guess the 'board in question is black?

Yup. I guess that explains it. Thanks.

kip · « **Reply #37 on:** Thu, 14 May 2009, 09:07:04 »

Quick Question: I see a lot of different listings for the Cherry G80-3000 when I Google it. Prices seem to vary from $60 to $110. Can someone help me understand the Cherry part numbers and how to identify those using MX brown switches? Thank you in advance for your help.

lowpoly · « **Reply #38 on:** Thu, 14 May 2009, 09:20:21 »

Current G80-3000s don't have brown but clear stems for the tactile version. The spring is a bit stronger.

Model # would be G80-3000LQCEU-2, for ex.

G80: MX switch
3000: the big case
L: lasered caps
Q: soft tactile P:linear S:clicky X:might be brown (special order)
EU: country code for layout
-2: black -0 white or gray

itlnstln · « **Reply #39 on:** Thu, 14 May 2009, 09:45:16 »

Quote from: ripster;90809

Let us know if you find a Cherry Brown one that does NOT have the Chinese lettering for less than $100. I did a half hearted search once and came up empty

You won't. It is not a standard production model. The one I bought from DataCal was a custom build just for them. I paid $107 shipped for it. When I bought mine, they only had a few left, so you might want to hurry. In one of the threads (I think it was something about cheap blue Cherry 'boards; I'm too busy to look right now), I left some contact info for the Sales Director for DataCal. She said she would give anyone from the site the "education" discount (which is about $10) if you order through her. I can't recommend this keyboard enough. I platoon it with my Filco at work (I can't decide which one I like better).

neptunebadger · « **Reply #40 on:** Wed, 20 May 2009, 04:23:21 »

I'm considering getting this keyboard because I want another board with Cherry blues. Has anyone purchased from POSGlobal.com? Geminicomputers seems to be out of stock on this particular model.

neptunebadger · « **Reply #41 on:** Wed, 20 May 2009, 16:11:30 »

The fact that the image on the product page has a broken link does not give me a good impression about POSGlobal, which is why I'm kind of hesitant.

Idiot_Hacker · « **Reply #42 on:** Sat, 23 May 2009, 12:44:58 »

Can someone post a pic of a few of the keys removed so I and everyone can see which cherry switch they use.

o2dazone · « **Reply #43 on:** Sat, 23 May 2009, 13:15:42 »

hows this

Idiot_Hacker · « **Reply #44 on:** Sat, 23 May 2009, 14:28:10 »

I love keyboards. I have to say the photos you put up are damn sexy.........

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #45 on:** Sun, 24 May 2009, 07:23:45 »

Quote from: neptunebadger;91813

The fact that the image on the product page has a broken link does not give me a good impression about POSGlobal, which is why I'm kind of hesitant.

POSGlobal seems very interesting. Its site says free shipping US and Canada. Very tempting

Since my Cherry is now my favourite keyboard, I might as well buy a spare one. Still want to try a Cherry brown though...

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #46 on:** Sun, 24 May 2009, 11:27:25 »

Quote from: ripster;92455

Yeah, buy it and let us know if they really have it in stock. The POS thing in the name seems to be scaring everyone off. Since Gemini is sold out it's the only game in town.

I'll give them a call tomorrow and find out if they are selling new or used keyboards G80-3000. Too bad Gemini is sold out. The other place where this keyboard is available is http://www.poshouse.com. Again POS.

But you want me to be the Guinea Pig, right? Well, I guess I can do that if I others have done it for Topre boards. If they do offer free shipping to Canada and use USPS, and if they are selling new items, then it will be good deal, that I will find hard to pass.

Quote

I wish you were a REAL Canadian so I could tell more Canadian jokes.

Too bad for you :-) I won't get a lot of them.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #47 on:** Sun, 24 May 2009, 11:45:44 »

Quote from: ripster;92458

LOL - POSglobal vs POShouse - got em mixed up.

NO hits on Reseller Ratings for either. Hmm.....

If you could only get Canadian Tire to special order.

Yes. That's the problem. Geminicomputers has good reviews. I wish Canadian Tire would sell keyboards LOL. There is one very close to where I live.

patrickgeekhack · « **Reply #48 on:** Sun, 24 May 2009, 14:39:43 »

Quote from: ripster;92458

LOL - POSglobal vs POShouse - got em mixed up.

NO hits on Reseller Ratings for either. Hmm.....

From PCWorld.

From Shopping.com

sixty · « **Reply #49 on:** Mon, 25 May 2009, 05:00:27 »

I actually contacted the German distributor of cherry keyboards today. They also do laser/print special layouts, so I figured I might as well give it a shot and ask for a blank layout. To my surprise they said it would be no problem and they can deliver the g80-3000 with either blue or black switches and completely blank keys. This goes at about $10 more than the retail price, which makes this a really cheap DASII. I think I'll order one!

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Author Topic: Cherry g80-3000 (pics inside) (Read 44728 times)